Skill device



R. A. wooD SKILL DEVICE Jan. 11-; 1949. v

Filed Jan. 8, 1946 ma M NO 0 A V% v m M Patented Jan. 11, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SKILL DEVICE Russefl A. Wood, Cambridge, Mass.

Application January 8, 1946, Serial No. 639,761

3 Claims.

My invention relates to an improved skill developing device of the type furnishing amusement and exercise in its use, and the primary object of my invention is to provide an attractive, inexpensive and readily marketable device of this character.

Further important objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the appended drawings, showing a preferred example of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a general view showing the device in use.

Figure 2 is a contracted side elevation on an enlarged scale.

Figure 3 is a transverse section on the line 33 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is an elevation of the ball missile.

Referring in detail to the drawings, my improved device comprises a wooden or other suitable material rod or stick 5, formed at one end with a smooth cylindrical part 6 serving as the handle and defining also an open area, or smooth section I of substantially the same diameter. The handle part and the open area 1 are separated by a circumferential groove 8 acting as a trap in a manner to be described herein. The opposite end of the rod has another smooth cylindrical open area, or smooth section 9 about the same length and diameter as the open area l and terminating in a circumferential groove 10 similar to the groove 8 and also acting as a trap. A knob II is defined by the groove [0.

The entire length of the rod between the inner ends of the smooth open areas land 9 is formed with a continuous rounded cross section spiral groove l2. The end convolutions of the spiral groove may, if desired, be distinctively colored to indicate goals.

For use with the above described rod, a captive missile l3 includes a ball l4 having attached thereto a cord or wire loop 15, the aperture of the loop being larger in diameter than the rod 5.

To use the device the loop I is placed on the rod and with the hand grasping the handle 6 the rod is gyrated so that the ball swings centrifugally outwardly from the rod as shown in Figure 1 and the loop 15 climbs or recedes along the spiral groove according to the direction of rotation of the gyrations imparted to the rod, the object being to move the missile either up wardly to the open area 9 or downwardly to the open area I from the opposite open area and reach the corresponding goal part of the substantial amusement provided where two or more persons compete, using individual devices according to this invention, and endeavor to reach the goal areas with the missiles first in one direction and then in the other, or compete on the basis of a double pass of the missile in opposite directions.

What I claim is:

1. An amusement device comprising a rod formed with a spiral groove extending for a substantial part of the length of the rod, smooth cylindrical sections on said rod at opposite ends of said spiral groove, a handle portion on said rod beyond one smooth cylindrical section, and a captive missile comprising a ball having a loop attached thereto circumposed on the rod and normally received in the spiral groove, whereby as the rod is gyrated at an angle to its axis in one direction or the other by means of said handle portion, the missile pulls outwardly away from the rod and in a direction along the spiral groove.

2. An amusement device comprising a rod formed with a spiral groove extending for a substantial part of the length of the rod, smooth cylindrical sections on said rod at opposite ends of said spiral groove, a handle portion on said rod beyond one smooth cylindrical section, a trap groove in the rod at the opposite end of one smooth cylindrical section from the spiral groove, a second trap groove in the rod at the opposite end of the second smooth cylindrical section opposite the spiral groove and intermediate said smooth cylindrical section and the handle portion, and a captive missile comprising a ball having a loop attached thereto circumposed on the rod and received in said spiral groove, whereby as the rod is gyrated at an angle to its axis in one direction or the other by means of said handle portion, the missile pulls outwardly away from the rod and in a direction along the spiral groove, and whereby the loop of the missile is caught in the trap grooves whenever the rod is unskillfully gyrated so as to cause the missile to travel too far axially outwardly along the corresponding smooth sections.

3. An amusement device comprising a rod formed with a spiral groove extending for a substantial part of the length of the rod, said groove being of arcuate cross-section, smooth cylindrical sections of approximately equal length on said rod at opposite ends of said spiral groove, trap grooves formed in said rod at the opposite ends of said smooth cylindrical sections from said spiral groove, a handle portion on the rod beyond one trap groove, and a captive missile comprising a ball having a loop attached thereto circumposed on the rod and adapted to be received in said spiral groove; whereby as the rod isvgyrated-atan angle to its-axis--in "one direction 'or the-other by means of said handle portion, the missile pulls outwardly away from the rod in a direction along the spiral groove, and whereby the loop ofvthe missile is caught in one of the trap grooves whenever the rod is unskillfully gyrated so as to cause the missile to travel too far axially outwardly along the corresponding smooth section.

RUSSELL A. WOOD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UN-ITEDTSTATES. PATENTS Number Name Date 139,533 Batchelder June 3, 1873 1,038,263 Atwood Sept. 10, 1912 

